Chapter 13
LEDGER
She’s asleep in my arms on the office couch, her head on my chest, one hand curled against my shoulder. Her breathing is soft and even, and she looks younger like this. Peaceful in a way I haven’t seen since I walked into that conference room weeks ago.
My wife.
She remembers now. Remembers everything. All the pieces she lost have finally clicked back into place.
I should feel triumphant. I got what I wanted. But all I feel is this overwhelming need to protect her. To keep her safe. To make sure she never runs from me again.
I reach for my phone carefully, trying not to wake her, and text Pedro to bring the car around to the private garage entrance. Then I gather our scattered clothes, dress myself one-handed while still holding her, and gently work her back into her clothes.
She stirs as I’m buttoning her blouse. “Ledger?”
“Shh. I’m taking you home.”
“Home?”
“My home. Our home.” I brush her hair back from her face. “You’re not going back to that apartment tonight.”
The building is empty at this hour. I carry her to the private elevator, the one that goes straight to the garage, and Pedro is waiting with the car when the doors open.
He takes one look at Savannah, drowsy in my arms, and doesn’t say a word, just opens the door and helps me get her settled in the back seat.
The penthouse is dark when we arrive. I carry her through the entryway, past the living room, and straight to my bedroom.
Our bedroom now, I suppose.
I set her on the bed, and she blinks up at me, more awake now.
“Are we at your house?”
“Our house.” She looks pale under the bedroom lights, and I pause. “You feeling okay?”
“Just tired. It’s been a long, interesting night.”
I start removing her shoes. “You’re not staying in that company apartment anymore.”
“Ledger—”
“We’re married, Savannah. Properly married now that you remember. You’re moving in.”
She doesn’t argue, just lets me undress her down to nothing, then we both go to take a quick shower. Afterward, I find one of my T-shirts for her to sleep in. It’s huge on her, falling to mid-thigh, and seeing her in my clothes does something to my chest.
I climb into bed beside her. She comes to me immediately, tucking herself against my side.
“Tell me about the search,” she says quietly. “You said you looked for me.”
“Yes. For three weeks. I tore Vegas apart the morning you left. Had every available man searching hotels, airports, and cab companies. When I realized you’d left the city, I started searching databases, social media, anything with your name on it.”
“That’s how you found me.”
“Eventually. You’re good at staying off the grid.” I run my fingers through her hair. “When I discovered you were working at my own company, I didn’t know whether to laugh or lose my mind.”
“I had no idea it was your company. The offer just said Kryla Holdings.”
“My empire has a lot of layers.” I press a kiss to her forehead. “But you were there the whole time. Three floors down from me, and I didn’t know.”
“What did it feel like? Those three weeks?”
I’m quiet for a moment, trying to find the right words. “Empty. Like I’d lost something vital and couldn’t figure out how to function without it.” I tighten my arms around her. “I’ve been alone most of my life. I’m used to it. But after one night with you, being alone felt wrong.”
She tilts her head up to look at me. “I’m sorry I ran.”
“Why did you?”
“Because I woke up next to a stranger and panicked.” Her voice gets quieter. “I should have stayed, maybe woken you up and talked to you. But I was scared.”
“Of me?”
“Of myself. Of what I’d done.” She traces patterns on my chest. “I have this condition. Alcohol affects my memory differently from normal people. Even small amounts can cause gaps, and that night in Vegas, I drank way more than small amounts.”
I listen as she explains it, and suddenly everything makes sense. The way she looked at me in that conference room like she’d seen a ghost. The fragments that came back slowly instead of all at once.
“You couldn’t remember because of the alcohol,” I say.
“I remembered the plane. Pieces of it, anyway. But everything after we started drinking at the club was just gone. Like it happened to someone else.”
We’re quiet for a while, just holding each other. Then she says, “What happened in Chicago helped. The kiss. It triggered something. I started getting flashes. Dreams. But they weren’t clear until tonight.”
“Until we made love again.”
“Yeah.” She sounds almost shy about it.
I reach for my phone on the nightstand.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“Calling Silas.” I pull up his number. “I need him to do something.”
He answers on the second ring despite it being almost 3:00 AM. “Boss?”
“I need you to remove all the alcohol from the penthouse tomorrow. Every bottle. Wine, whiskey, vodka, everything. I don’t care what it costs or where it came from. Get rid of it.”
There’s a pause. “All of it?”
“All of it.”
“Mind if I ask why?”
“Because my wife has a condition that makes alcohol dangerous for her.”
“Understood. I’ll take care of it first thing.”
I hang up and set the phone aside.
Savannah is looking at me with an expression I can’t quite read. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Ledger, it’s your home. You should be able to drink if you want to.”
“I’d rather have water.” I cup her face. “It’s not even a choice.”
Her eyes get shiny. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
“Get used to it. I plan on doing a lot of nice things for you for a very long time.”